


Icarus

by babysun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, Canon, Crushes, M/M, Non AU, hyuck appreciation, mark is really soft for hyuck and so am i
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-09-29 16:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17206691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babysun/pseuds/babysun
Summary: To Mark, Donghyuck’s beauty could only be compared to that of the sun.Or in other words, Mark spends his free time admiring his best friend despite the danger in indulging in such a crush.





	1. Chapter 1

To Mark, Donghyuck’s beauty could only be compared to that of the sun. Its forever untouchable light was a temptation that haunted the gaze of millions. There was that unconscious yearning to move closer to reach its power and taste its magnificence on your tongue like the sweet nectar of a honeysuckle that surely ached in the very core of every human being on earth that dared stare at its wonder. 

Donghyuck’s personality was like fire, a smoldering heat warming the bodies of everyone he passed. His smile made you smile, his laugh made you laugh, a contagiousness that poured from the gaze of those warm chocolate eyes that made you want to fill your lungs with the smoke that certainly must surround the curves of his skin due do his ever growing fervor.

And his voice, that beautiful voice, could only have been created by something beyond this universe. Its magical tone soothed into your ear like the whispering of ocean wind on the prettiest day of summer holiday. His high notes rang like the sweet melody of the nightingale, clear and rich in the crisp morning air. There could not be a single human in existence that would grow tired of hearing the rise and fall of his voice like a steady heartbeat pounding against the chest of a boy in love.

And in love Mark was, without a doubt, with the boy that sat before him, laid out as if the world was prepared to bend to his very will, and Mark wouldn’t be surprised if it was. It was one of their rare moments of free time, in between concerts and show recordings and studio time, a precious snippet of peace that could so easily go by wasted with sleep if not for careful consideration.

Donghyuck would never allow that though. He always had something up his sleeve for their days off, whether that be something as extravagant as an all-day outing to the best local shopping and dining spots with all their members or a simple movie night eating against their diet in the dorm. 

Today was more on the simple side, a day spent just the two of them by Han River with a picnic basket and Mark’s guitar, allowing Donghyuck to munch on strawberries and request his favorite songs for Mark to play. Mark would die before admitting that he learned how to play each and every one of Donghyuck’s favorites purely for the joy of hearing the boy sing along to the strumming of his fingers. Yet, it would never fail to be the truth. 

“Minhyung,” Donghyuck called out using Mark’s Korean name, despite his previous insistence to do otherwise. A gentle pout sat heavy on his lips, tempting Mark with the shine of the lip gloss that Donghyuck had so carefully applied before they left. “You’re staring. And you stopped playing.”

“Oh,” Mark startled, realizing that his fingers had, in fact, seized in their movement. His face flushed, caught in his mesmerization with his best friend, a dangerous act for too many reasons to count. 

“Sorry, I, uh, had an idea for some lyrics. It distracted me,” he tried to excuse. It wasn’t an entire lie. He could definitely use his thoughts towards lyrics if he actually managed to write them down and organize them into something more viable. Donghyuck had always given him inspiration for lyrics, as Jaehyun had once not-so-helpfully pointed out on camera like the true friend he was. 

“Care to share with the class?” Donghyuck pressed, a mischievous grin on his face as if he knew the truth behind Mark’s words. He leaned back on his hands, legs stretched out and showing off golden thighs underneath the hem of his shorts, yet another temptation that Mark had to avert his eyes from to prevent doing something he might regret. 

He shook his head, knowing Donghyuck would let the matter go since he knew lyrics were of a more personal matter that Mark only shared when he was in a particular mood. 

As quiet settled back over them, his gaze was drawn to a couple in the distance. They seemed to be also enjoying the nice weather by the river, holding hands and laughing at some joke that Mark would never be privy to. They looked happy, in love, complete in a way that Mark was unsure he would ever have the privilege to experience due to his line of work and certain inclinations towards pretty boys with glowing skin.

“I’m bored,” Donghyuck sighed, stretching his arms up with a yawn and revealing just the briefest hint of soft tummy that had Mark clenching his jaw with the strain of maintaining a calm demeanor. “Let’s go to the Dream dorm and check on the kids.”

Mark couldn’t help the endeared smile that spread across his face at the words. “You realize that you’re the same age as half of those ‘kids’, right?”

“Not in maturity level,” Donghyuck said with a scrunch of his nose. He stood, packing their things back into the picnic basket and brushing grass off the loose fabric of his shorts. 

“I doubt Renjun would agree,” Mark countered, moving to stand beside him, guitar in hand. 

“Injun also believes in ghosts and aliens, so I don’t think his opinion really matters,” Donghyuck scoffed. He walked towards the entrance of the park, leading them back to the street and towards the dorms. 

Mark frowned, eyebrows furrowed as walked beside him, far more aware of how close Donghyuck’s hand was to his than he should be. They brushed against each other at every other passing, as if Donghyuck was daring Mark to take the final leap even though they both knew Mark never would. “Okay, ghosts, yeah, but aliens are totally out there! Come on, dude, you cannot not think there are aliens somewhere in the universe.”

“I’m sorry I don’t associate with giant nerds, I’m gonna have to ask you to remove yourself from my presence. Or actually, I’ll do it for you,” Donghyuck said before suddenly sprinting away, his laughter echoing into the warm afternoon air when Mark yelled behind him. 

If Mark found himself running all the way back to the dorm, chasing after the living embodiment of the sun through the streets of Seoul, he really couldn’t find it in himself to complain.


	2. Melting Wings

Mark once heard a story about a boy who made wings with feathers and wax to escape the world below but flew too close to the sun. His wings melted away, and he fell into the sea, drowning.

It seemed like a bad idea to make wings with wax, but Mark could, in many ways, understand why the boy might be so desperate to escape. Life was exhausting and cruel and terrifying. The world expects and pushes and takes. It forces you to fight your way through, tooth and nail, until you’re too tired to fight anymore.

The sun, however, was beautiful. It shines over like a bright hope of freedom. It draws you in and makes you yearn for something more. Mark yearned for so much more. He could imagine flying into the sun, knowing fully well that it would burn him. It was so tempting, how could you not? The pain could be worth it, after all, for just those few moments of living in that light.

And those were the thoughts that Mark could not stop from running through his head every time he looked at Donghyuck.

Donghyuck, who shined so brilliantly under those stage lights. Donghyuck, with a smile made of sunshine and daisies. Donghyuck, with constellations scattered across his golden skin like he was made of galaxies. Donghyuck whose voice was made of silk and honey, who smelled of vanilla and cinnamon and home, who could make laughter spread like a bee sprinkling pollen in the wind, who could make Mark melt with a single glance. 

Donghyuck. 

He was Mark’s ultimate weakness, and Mark couldn’t help but wonder when his own wings would melt away, leaving him to drop into the ocean. 

“Minhyung?” Donghyuck voiced, poking his head into the practice room that Mark had been hiding in. Mark lifted his head, pushing his headphones down to rest against his neck and pausing his music to give his full attention.

Mark resisted the urge to correct him, to remind him that no one called him Minhyung. No one was allowed to, except Donghyuck. “What’s up?”

“Could you help me? There’s some choreography that I’m having some trouble with,” Donghyuck asked. His face was scrunched up slightly, reluctant to be requesting assistance when he prefered to perfect things on his own. 

Mark was aware of this, aware that Donghyuck would only ask for help with such things if he had no other choice. Donghyuck was and had always been far too hard on himself, his own worst critic despite his clear talent. 

“Alright,” Mark shrugged, carelessly tossing his phone and headphones to the side as he stood up. Donghyuck’s shoulders relaxed from their previously tense posture, and he sent a grateful smile Mark’s way. 

WIth little preamble, Donghyuck explained the choreography he was struggling with, a move mostly focused on footwork which probably explained why he had come to Mark for help. Mark had always been more skilled in the footwork side of dancing, surprisingly light on his feet. 

They worked diligently, Mark demonstrating the correct movement and giving gentle guidance. Donghyuck’s eyebrows were furrowed in his focus, tongue peeking out past his lips as he tried to hit the steps just right.

One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.

Donghyuck groaned in frustration when he slipped for the fifth time in a row, unable to land the step the way he was supposed to. He ran a hand over his face, sighing heavily. “I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can,” Mark said, voice heavy with determination. He watched Donghyuck’s reflection, eyes settling on the position of his legs. “Here, it’s your stance.”

Mark moved to stand in front of Donghyuck, his hands reaching to grip the other boy’s right thigh. “You need to lift your leg up here, and then the movement will come easy. You have strong muscles in your thighs, make sure you use them.”

What Mark failed to notice was that Donghyuck had gone very still, a quiet tension filling the room. Mark looked up when he was given no response, his gaze meeting Donghyuck’s own. Wide, dark eyes stared back at him, filled with an intensity that took Mark’s breath away. 

It was that moment that Mark realized how close he was to Donghyuck. Their faces were only centimeters apart, close enough for Mark to see the curve of his eyelashes, the freckle under his left eye, the pout of his lips. Mark was frozen in front of Donghyuck’s beauty, an ethereal glow of light that surely could not come from any mere human being. 

“Minhyung,” Donghyuck said in a whisper, an almost gasp that left Mark’s chest heavy and his hands shaking. Donghyuck seemed just as affected by their close proximity as Mark was, clear evidence that he wasn’t the only one at risk of giving in to hidden feelings. 

Mark tilted his head, staring at Donghyuck in wonder as the other boy’s face flushed a light pink, blending into his skin like the colors of the sunrise. It stole the air from Mark’s lungs, brought him to the edge of the cliff that he had been dancing around for years. 

This was it. His wings were melting and he was falling. Nothing could stop it now. The world did not matter. Nothing mattered but Donghyuck’s breath on fluttering against his cheek. Even if he drowned, even if the world destroyed him for his unescapable longing to touch the sun, Mark would gladly let himself fall. 

In a moment of clear certainty and acceptance of his fate, Mark stood back to his full height, hands letting go of Donghyuck’s leg only to palm his cheeks instead. Donghyuck was silent, heart beating fast as Mark drew closer, slowly enough to give Donghyuck the opportunity to slip away if he so chose. 

The was a second of stillness when Mark was only a hair’s breadth away, their noses brushing against each other as Mark searched Donghyuck’s eyes for any indication that he should cease in his movement before Donghyuck was suddenly pushing forward, his lips pressing against Mark’s own. 

Fire ran through Mark’s veins, burning him from the inside out at Donghyuck pressed on, their lips moving slowly against one another, a dance long overdue. Mark’s hands moved down to grip Donghyuck’s hips, pulling their bodies flush together. 

Mark knew, was more sure than he had ever been in his life, that this was the most important moment of his life. Not the moment he auditioned to be an idol. Not the moment he debuted. Not a single moment on that stage could compare to this, to Donghyuck’s arms wrapping around his neck, to fingers weaving into his hair and tugging just hard enough to make him let out a soft groan. 

He may be drowning, but he could drown himself on the taste of Donghyuck’s tongue for eternity without a single complaint. Donghyuck was Mark’s everything. He was his happiness, his home, his love.

And Mark would gladly fall if it meant he could kiss the sun.

**Author's Note:**

> Please give all the love and support to Donghyuck as he recovers!!! 
> 
> Will I write a part 2 to this? Who knows!
> 
> Update: Surprise! I actually did write a part 2. I probably won't add anything else to this, unless specifically requested. Hope you all enjoyed! Feel free to come talk to me about markhyuck on tumblr @seagullmark


End file.
